Southern standard. (McMinnville, Tenn.) 1879-current, 1887-01-22
GILES COUNTY FARMERS.
How to Redeem Hillside Land and
Prevent it From Washing.

Giles County Democrat
The Giles County Agricultural Soci-
ETY. met in the Circuit Court room on
last Saturday at the usual hour. The
subject for discussion was, "How to
Redeem Our Hill Side Land and
Prevent it from Washing" which
was opened and ably discussed by T.
o. Alternately, who insisted and
greatly urged upon farmers the
necessity of attending to this import
ant duty at once.
w. s. Rhea was then called on and
read highly instructive, as well as
humorous paper. He strongly in
dorsed the planting ofgrasses and the
black locust on washed places.
A. M. Eel in turn read a paper on
the subject showing that the locust
was the best and quickest remedy,
and while it was beneficial to Ireland
it was also very useful in many other
ways. He gave his experience with
ten acres of land, although badly
washed, in two years time WAS made
as good as ever.
Prof. Swan read paper insisting
that it was simply through neglect
that our lands are so badly washed.
His method was, however, to cease
cultivating yearly crops, and seeding
to grasses and clover, setting the
locust, ash, poplar, or even much
despised plum or blackberry on the
worst worn or washed places.
r. NJ. Pullen was very enthusiastic
in his argument for the hillside ditch,
which if properly made and kept
clean, Was in his opinion, far in adj
vance of any other method to keep
land from washing. He gives four
inches fall to every twelve feet. On
places already washed he thought the
locust was very valuable.
S. P. White thought the best
method was to fill in with trash and
straw, blowing it under and planting
with peas. If the ground is not suf-
ficiently strong to sprout peas, the
strength had better beput there. On
steep hillsides he favored the hillside
ditch and the planting of grasses,
serving it in the same manner as the
washes if necessary.
Mr.. James Rutford favored terrace
ing on steep hillsides, planting rye
and turning under second crop; then
seeding to grasses or clover. He
thought with this method properly
persued, the worst washed land in the
county could be reclaimed.
NJ. Harwell's method was dam
ing with poles and rocks. He then
planted sugar cane or filled in with
trash and corn stalks with the roots
uphill. Owing to this method he is
blowing over gullies that used to be
four feet deep.
w. c. Carter thought the best plan
TO prevent washes, was not to plant
crops that needed blowing. He also
advocated the planting of grasses and
the locust. He has ten acres of land
for which he offers forty dollars an
acre to any man that will stop the
washes and put good stand of clover
on it.
j. E. Alternately thought that il
farmers would plow deeper and Use
more fertilizer, thus making the
ground more pourous, it would not
wash.
A motion was made by j. f. Aber.
nathy which carried, for the chair tC
appoint u committee of three to take
the names of each member of the as
ISOLATION and assign some crop, (fielC
or garden which he was to cultivate
NdlCluly VII viz aSACJ 90 an CA pCll
ment. The committee selected i,
Messrs S. p. White, J. f. Alternately
and w. s. Rhea, who will report a
next meeting,
The association, through T. O
Alternately, its president, has drawn
up resolutions to be signed by thu
farmers of the county, petitioning tn,
Legislature at its present term, to 81
amend the road-law as to give lis {
road inspector, and to give him powe
to have work done wherever it il
needed at any time. Under thu
present system roads throughout the
county have been greatly improved
but they could be very much bette
than they are now ifan inspector wa
allowed to go over them.